Acknowledging, the ever-growing impact of social networking on the music business, Billboard has decided to introduce a new chart. The Social 50 will rank, “The most active artists on the world’s leading social networking sites.” Topping the first chart is Rihanna. The chart is compiled using data about weekly additions of friends, fans and followers as well as tracking visits to the artists’ pages and streaming of songs. Participating sites include MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and iLike. Social music tracking site Next Big Sound provides the data. A unique item added into the compilation of the data into a chart is the ratio of current page views to the artists’ number of fans. Billboard editorial director Bill Werde says, “We continue to adapt the way we chart the changing landscape of music. The Social 50 is yet another step in the evolution of Billboard and an important response to our changing times.” Check out the first week of The Social 50.
Category: Industry
Mashable writer Brenna Ehrlich has done a great job at outlining four services that can help unsigned bands make money online. Each of them have been profiled on Hypebot in the past. However, she has given a much more in-depth look at how these services work and who they have been working for. From music licensing to online collaboration to becoming sponsored on a torrent site, these are all real ways that bands can make money online without the help of a major label. Here is a look at the services but click over to get more insight:
Jingle Punks is a music licensing company that specializes in providing pre-cleared music for use in various media productions.
Indaba Music is an online collaboration tool that enables musicians to team up across the globe and also work on commerical projects.
YouTube’s Musicians Wanted Program enables musicians to earn money from advertising that runs before and during videos.
BitTorrent Featured Artist Program spotlights artists and gives them instant global distrobution and exposure to new audiences.
Learn more about how to make money from these services here.
The great divide between the take-home pay of indie and label artists is real. One artist took the time to figure out how wide the gap is. They make an interesting contention that it is important to support the artists themselves and their music, and not the major label hierarchy. If their math is correct, it is a rather disheartening comparison on one end and a reason for hope on the other. See the graphic below:
via www.hypebot.com
Soundlounge have created a great checklist for new artists. While some of the organisations mentioned are US based it is still a great read. Check it out here.
MusicDish e-Journal – 5 Ways the Web has Influenced Indie Music.
1. Taste-Testing: One of the best parts about frozen treat shops is being able to try a new flavor for free before purchasing a whole cup. You can’t walk into a concert for free and then decide after the first song is over whether or not you want to pay for the rest of it. However, the Internet lets new indie artists and bands post music for fans to sample. After getting a chance to sample new music, fans can confidently decide to buy their music and concert tickets.
2. Bye-Bye, Boundaries: No longer do you have to rely solely on a handful of local indie music venues to get your indie fix. Seeing bands and artists live is one of the best ways to experience music, but what if they never visit your local venue? The Web features indie music from all corners of the world, making geographical limitations a concern of the past.
3. Sheer Scope: With all of the numerous artists and bands currently making music, think of how many hours and dollars you’d have to dedicate to checking out all of the indie music available in your state alone if you didn’t have the Internet. It would be a full-time job-a fun one, but an expensive and time-consuming one! With sites such as likeZEBRA.com that showcase purely indie music, you can listen to endless playlists of new indie songs at your desk-all in a day’s work.
4. Two-Way Communication: There’s nothing better than feeling completely connected with your favorite artists and bands. The Web provides a medium for artists and bands to frequently talk directly to their fans with updates. What’s even better is that fans can talk back by sending messages to them directly on social networking sites. With the Internet line of communication constantly open, new indie artists and bands can make strong and lasting ties with their fans.
5. The Need for Speed: In such an instant gratification type of society, we don’t want to wait for an album to make it to vanishing music shops or for bands to finally get around to visiting our towns. Understandably, we want their music ASAP! Whether artists and bands are selling their new records or posting songs and videos for free, the Web lets indie music fans get the music they crave as fast as it takes to hit “Play.” Video and song postings on the Internet are crucial to keeping fans fully up to speed with new indie music.
Our photos
RSS
Facebook
Flickr
YouTube
